Hi Everyone - I am New Here…. My Story

[Mojo-Risin]

Hi there everyone. I joined this community a few days ago and spent the first days just reading many posts shared my all of you, getting to hear your stories, your fears, your knowledge on this topoc, as well as some encouraging stories of success.

I am a 50 year old “functional” alcoholic that has had a 15 year history of excessive enjoyment of libations that have occupied far too big of a place in my life. My drinks of choice have been mostly bourbon and white wine.

I was diagnosed with fatty liver for the first time a coupke years ago but I either must have misunderstood the potential severity of that news (or my doctor may not have done the best job of communicating the potential to me). Probably both. I continued to drink. My fatty liver still remains, my enzymes were elevated, and my liver somewhat swollen. Add to that, I have been experiencing a dull ache in my upper abdomen just below my sternum (not underneath the actual sternum) and that pain extwnds along my upper abdomen toward the right side. Its dull and intermittent in nature. I also have corresponding intermittent pain at my upper back just next to my right shoulder blade. It started a few days after an epic bourbon binge in early November. I had a fever one day, then I woke the next day and felt the discomfort in my abdomen and its never completely gone away since. The discomfort is triggered based on when I eat foods that are anything other than the nost plain menu of fruits and vegtables. It has all the earmarks of gallbladder problems but a recent ultrasound found no stones in the gallbladder. I have a follow up visit with a GI doctor next month to scope it out further. Is it hidden stones? Is a bile duct blocked? Is it inflammation?

Anyway, I am scared. I stopped drinking entirely, and I performed a liver/gallbladder cleanse. My follow up blood work came back notmal on my liver, kidneys, electrolytes, thyroid, as well as all my CBC counts — all normal. Meanwhile, I have eliminated most of the things I enjoy eating in place of lots of fruit and vegtables, and I am TRYING to determine light forms of protein I can tolerate. ANY IDEAS WOULD BE SO APPRECIATED. The cleanse and this ultra strict diet over the last 10 days has caused me to lose lots of weight the last couple weeks (which can also be scarey, despite the fact that I try to remind myself that there is an explaination for the weight loss).

Anyway, I am trying to figure it all out. I have kids in the age range of 10 to 13, so my first thoughts always go to them and trying to make myself healthy enough to raise them and get them through college. If God needs to take me after I accomplish that, I can have a clear conscious.

Sorry for the heavy introduction but my mind has been very burdened the last few weeks.

Mojo

[nash2 Partner]

You need to discuss ASH with your doctor, alcoholic steatohepatitis. That follows as the disease phase of fatty liver. You probably know that excess alcohol is the road to cirrhosis. Where you are on that road is best determined with a liver stiffness test such as FibroScan. Giving up alcohol and eating a wholesome diet while you sort this out is the smart plan. Your liver is probably begging for a break. Serious but likely manageable if you are prudent.

[Mojo-Risin in reply to nash2]

Thank you for your feedback. I am incredibly grateful. I feel like that bender I had (as stupid as it was) may have been a blessing in disquise, as it alerted me to something nefarious that was happening inside me that I may have not been aware of had it not happened. I may have continued asymptomatic and continued my abusive lifestyle in ignorance. I will not let this opportunity pass and I will very much be prudent in every way conceivable. Thank you for the support.

[Str8jacket]

Not trying to be alarmist, but with your history I would suggest permanent abstinence is warranted, not merely a break. You may well have alcoholic liver disease at this point, which is not limited to fibrosis/scarring but can manifest in other ways, including non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, metabolic disorders (impaired protein synthesis, impaired ammonia metabolism), and a slew of other unpleasantries. Once that gets rolling, adding any alcohol to the mix is like Russian roulette--an alcohol damaged liver will keep struggling even after alcohol is stopped, and cannot handle the additional strain. One of the problems with such a liver, for example, is a decreased ability to process bile acids, which feeds into its own inflammatory/fibrosis vicious cycle with the liver.

Blood work can be deceptive with alcoholic liver disease too (again, not being alarmist, but false senses of security are also not helpful). As can ultrasound with a diffuse liver disease like alcoholic liver disease which can lead to damage that is not easily spotted on imaging.

Finally, chronic alcohol abuse (not judging, been there too and dealing with consequences) can wreck havoc on many other organs, from the gut to the pancreas to the heart etc etc. So, better to stop completely. There's a chance you have realized these concerns before it's too late--many don't.

Curious--what were your bloods like? Specifically MCV, MCHC, platelets, AST and ALT?

[Mojo-Risin in reply to Str8jacket]

thank you fir this feedback. I belive being alarmiat at this point is very much appropriate. I have cone to the conclusion my days of drinking are at an official end and I am very comfortable with that. I will tey to get the details on the blood work. What are you looking for in those? Also, in your opinion, is it advisable to begin taking some supplements commonly known to help with liver repair, like milk thistle or L-Carnitine, or should I abstain from anything addative until I see a liver specialist?

[Str8jacket in reply to Mojo-Risin]

Re supplements, milk thistle etc. does not cure or treat chronic liver disease. It is used to protect the liver from acute liver poisoning after ingesting death's cap mushrooms. Unless you ate those in the past hour or so, leave the milk thistle alone. *Some* other supplements may be appropriate in the setting of liver disease, but before taking any such supplement you would want to know (1) do you have liver disease and (2) do you have the need for such a supplement (e.g., vitamin D deficiency, which often accompanies liver disease). Your doctor(s) should be able to give you more info on those two points. If you want to do something in the meantime, a liver healthy diet and exercise will not harm you, and will do you well whether or not your liver is impacted. A couple of coffees a day probably wouldn't hurt either.

And don't be alarmist/panic. People sometimes find out they are very far along in alcoholic liver disease (no reason to think you are, from your post) before they take any steps to abstain/ live better, and can stabilize dramatically.

The point is to not go back to the path of self destruction, and it sounds like you're good there.

[Mojo-Risin in reply to Str8jacket]

Thank you for such a helpful yet encouraging post…

[Alterity]

Years ago my gallbladder was diseased and had no stones. That's when they found my fatty liver, but the doctors back 40 years ago didn't say anything about it was bad to have fat on the liver or even told me I had fat on my liver 20 years later I find I have NASH. I have lived with my NASH for 22 years. Good Luck and it's great your steps you are taking, keep up the good work, however you will find blood work will yo yo all the time.

[Mojo-Risin]

One notable part about all of this (and to show me how fragile a liver can get once its already compromised) I actually went alcohol free on new years day 2022 and did not drink at all for months and months, later taking my foot off the pedal about August of this year deinking brown liquor intermittently. Then I have one binge event early November and I have been dealing with the consequences since. All and all, I have monitored my days drinking and I have been 100% sober 78% of the days this year. Im learning through the benefit of hindsight that this doesn't matter. My drinking days are forever OVER and I thank God for the stern warning shot across my bow.

[Rodmail]

Many are the alcoholics who relapse. One could say most. All of them were totally confident their drinking days were done, too. Suggest a talk with a doc. Most alcohol treatment facilities are very expensive and have no legitimate statistics on their success, because people may relapse when they are finished and never say so. AA has been around for a long time and is free and as effective as anything else. There is some recent talk of a program that includes medication, but my recall is confirming studies have not . . . confirmed. AA, being free, is the easy thing to try first. It likely works for many or it would not have survived so long.